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Hundreds missing in Nepal storm

Ameet Dhakal

KATHMANDU: Dozens of people are feared dead and hundreds of people missing as a snowstorm hit a remote region of western Nepal.

The missing persons, who had gone to collect Yarchagumba, a natural aphrodisiac, are trapped in the rugged mountains in the northern regions of the western districts.

It is still unclear how many are missing but the local administrations in Darchukla, Kalikot and Dolpa district estimate the number to be over 800.

Rescue efforts are hampered due to bad weather. A Nepal Army helicopter, which left the western division in Surkhet for the search and rescue operations, has landed in Kalikot district headquarters due to bad weather.

A police official at the district headquarters of Kalikot, Dunai, said about 16 persons were feared dead as they had not returned from the region that has been reeling under the heavy snowstorm since last Saturday.

The police, citing local people, also said four among the dead are Indian nationals, but their identity is not clear yet. Hundreds of local villages throng the rugged mountains in western Nepal during this season to collect the highly prized Yarchagumba.

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